Blogs from Tottori, Tottori, Japan, Asia

Shirakawa Village was listed as one of TheWorld Heritage at the 19th UNESCO that is held in Berlin on December 1995. This was the 6th World Heritage that Japan Heritage in Japan. The village was being preserved hundreds of years and because it was preserved so well so the UN put it in the list of The World Heritage. And guess what, I did acutally went to see the village, to acknowledge the life style of Japanese hundreds of years ago and the difference between now and then. When I first arrive at the village I didn't see any difference between the houses in the city and the Shirakawa Village. But when i look closer, i found out that the roofs were different. The houses in the Shirakawa Village has roofs made by straws! STRAWS~ yes ... read more

It was a whirlwind tour....of Tottori! My parents arrived on a Thursday night and I went to Osaka to meet them. We spent a night in Osaka because I didn't want to take the bus back right away. We had a busy schedule the next day so I wanted to get some sleep! They liked the yukatas from the hotel too :) Friday morning on the bus back to Tottori, lots of mountains on the way. Once we got to Tottori, we changed quickly and had lunch at the train station because we had to be at school to teach two classes in the afternoon. That day was very busy because the elementary school teachers were coming to observe the last period of classes. My parents and I got to school during lunchtime so we waited ... read more

本日、取⇔鳥カニ食べ放題・温泉ツアー（バスの旅）に行ってきました。 ガイドをしながらも新車のバス内を探る余裕のあるプロのガイドさんと 「この一帯から甘いいい匂いがする」と少しセクハラまがいの言葉がけをしてくる運転手 と共に朝７時３０分。枚方市を出発。 同行者は職場の若い先生方３名。 バスの中では横一列でババ抜きや、坊主めくり風、舞妓めくり。 「雪」を季語に俳句を作ったりしました。 雪国よ　弁当よりも　傘忘れるな　　　　はるなかく 公務員試験クイズでドンもなかなか盛り上がりました。 トイレ休憩で寄った赤松では偶然、現職場の子供＋夫婦に遭遇。 家族でどっかお出かけかな？と軽い挨拶を交わし、さよ... read more

This is the first time I really felt like I was a part of the Cultural Festival preparations. Last year, all I did was watch and I did participate in the teacher's chorus performance and cook tacos with my students, but this year...more work! About a month before the actual cultural festival, one of the teachers asked me if I wanted to try playing the koto. It's a 13 stringed instrument that is played by plucking the strings with a pick-like nail you wear on your thumb, pointer and middle finger. It's a bit hard to describe, if you google or you tube the koto, I'm sure you can find a video of it. You don't look at actual music notes, it's all according to numbers. You can also adjust the sound by pressing down on ... read more

Lately work has been busy busy busy. I thought things would slow down after the Cultural festival...not so much. Observation classes galore have commenced! Monday was the big observation class for our youngest science teacher. ALL teachers watched his class. The rest of the students in the school were left to do worksheets. Today was the observation class for one of my JTEs who isn't a "real" teacher yet. Quickly....you have to pass two tests to be a "real" teacher. If you pass the first level you become an instructor. If you pass the 2nd level test or if there is a desperate need for teachers, for example, someone goes on maternity leave, you can become a "real" teacher. It's hard to pass the 2nd level so young instructors have to switch schools every year. My ... read more

which will be expanded into their own separate entries eventually.... It's been way too long since I've updated! I guess the last big event was the speech contest, but since then, I've definitely been keeping busy. Let's begin with my typical weekly schedule. On Mondays and Thursdays I have play rehearsal with Viva Theatre! Yes, we are back and this time, with a musical. Little Shop of Horrors. For those of you who knew me back in high school, remember when I was Ronnette in this musical? This time, I'm Crystal. I'm excited and of course, worried because this production will not be easy. The plant construction, the songs, the tiny stage...so many things to think about, but we are going to try our hardest and put on a great show! Tuesday nights, I'm learning shuha ... read more